Action | Promulgate best management practices for the operation of apiaries to limit operator liability |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 7/13/2016 |
Proposed. 1) G. An apiary operator shall not maintain an apiary within 50 feet of any animal that is tethered, kenneled, or otherwise prevented from escaping a possible stinging incident.
I think this is onerous requirement and really not fair to require. It is possible that someone moves in with a tethered or kenneled animal after you have your apiary established and then their rights supersede yours. I think that it would be better to read that the apiary owner should not keep a kenneled or tethered animal on their property but in the case that this type of animal exists on a neighbor's property, the apiary owner should alert the neighbor with the tethered or kenneled animal to the potential problems associated with keeping the animal next to an apiary.
Propsed: 2. 4. Replace queens in all captured or trapped swarms within 30 days of capturing or trapping swarms;
I am not sure this is necessary- it seems like an extreme requirement. Perhaps soften if to assess behavior within 45 days of capturing or trapping swarms and requeen if defensive behavior becomes apparent.
Proposed: 3. 5. Replace queens in all colonies every two years to minimize swarming behavior; and
Could this be amended to state- with the exception of established queen breeders. This is so that those fully engaged in breeding queens, which require at least 2 winters for a queen to survive do not get penalized for this standard queen breeding practice?